Field Crowded for Two Open Pasco County School Board Seats — Nine Candidates Now Qualified Ahead of Aug. 18 Primary

PASCO COUNTY, FL — Election season is heating up in Pasco County, and this year's School Board races are drawing the biggest field of candidates in years. Nine candidates have officially qualified to pursue two open seats on the Pasco County School Board, both being vacated by their current holders — a notable shift for a board that has seen little turnover outside of retirements over the past two decades.

How the Races Break Down

Unless a candidate clears more than half the vote outright in the Aug. 18 primary, the top two vote-getters in each race will face off again in the November general election.

District 1 — Replacing Al Hernandez

Hernandez, who covers a large swath of north and west Pasco including Dade City, Zephyrhills, and San Antonio, served one term before opting against reelection. Four candidates have stepped up to replace him:

• Christopher King — a retired U.S. Marine who founded a Dade City nonprofit focused on etiquette, human rights, and human trafficking awareness. He previously made an unsuccessful bid for Dade City Council in 2020.

• Kimberly Coward — an attorney and former Pasco County school counselor who also serves as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General's Office. She previously lost a bid for the Broward County School Board in 2022 and has since returned to Pasco.

• Gino Collura — a business consultant considered the early front-runner in the race. Collura has never previously run for public office but has been appointed to two posts by Gov. Ron DeSantis, and has picked up endorsements from several high-profile officials, including Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson. His entry into the race prompted two other prospective candidates to withdraw their bids.

• A fourth candidate has also qualified for the seat.

District 3 — Replacing Cynthia Armstrong

Armstrong, who has served the densely populated southwestern corner of the county since 2010 — 16 years on the board — chose not to seek reelection. Five candidates have entered the race:

• Matt Geiger — who has worked as a school director for a residential academy affiliated with the Benfica soccer club, and previously ran unsuccessfully against Armstrong four years ago.

• Sean O'Flannery — a military veteran and educator with experience in the Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough school districts, as well as Florida Virtual School. He ran twice for the Pinellas County School Board in the early 2000s.

• Kirk Phillips — a retired human relations and technology expert for the U.S. Air Force and private industry, who ran unsuccessfully for a state House seat in 2024.

• Erin Stroupe — a parent activist making her first run for office, known locally for pushing back against a district plan to give land to a charter school operator for a future high school in her community.

• Mollyana Ward — a real estate agent and political newcomer with ties to several current and former officials.

A Third Race, Already Decided

A third School Board seat is also on the August ballot, but it won't be part of the fall showdown. The incumbent seeking reelection drew just a single opponent, meaning that race will be settled outright in the Aug. 18 primary rather than heading to a November runoff.

Why It Matters

Because Pasco County School Board members are elected at-large — meaning all registered voters countywide help decide every seat, not just residents of a particular district — these races carry weight well beyond the district lines they represent. With this year's field the largest in recent memory, Wesley Chapel voters have real choices to make heading into August.

📍 Pasco County School Board — pascoschools.org

📅 Primary Election: Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026 | General Election: Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026